Here’s the great roundup by Jennifer Saylor. So much happening on the Asheville food scene that it’s a little hard to comprehend.

Restaurants to look out for (and the ones that didn’t make it): The Ashvegas year in restaurants 2013

If you want to better understand why Asheville enjoys the restaurant reputation it does, just have a look below, especially at the list of new restaurants that opened this year, which include a new venture (Rhubarb) from top Southeastern chef John Fleer, two kickass wood-fired pizza joints, two kickass biscuit restaurants, two Korean restaurants, farm-to-table burgers and the new down-home downtown spot from Michael Moore, mastermind of the Blind Pig underground supper club and an up-and-coming chef in his own right.

And check out the West Asheville boom, with six restaurants in the works in the Haywood Road area alone. With New Belgium’s East Coast brewery and plant coming in, this area can only continue to grow.

Looking forward to 2014, looks like we’ll see more chains than usual slipping onto the food scene, especially if the long-rumored Chipotle finally makes its eagerly awaited debut.

2012 totals: 16 closings, 21 openings.

2013 totals: 23 closings, 38 openings

Happy eating, and here’s to good food and drink in 2014.

ASHEVILLE RESTAURANTS ON THE HORIZON

Good luck to the new crew Brasilia Churrasco Steakhouse (former Magnolia’s location): One of two Brazilian-style steakhouses moving into the downtown spot recently vacated by O.G. downtown eatery Magnolia’s.

Buffalo Nickel: A venture from Asheville Realtor Lynn Foster, this restaurant is slated to open in early 2014 at 747 Haywood Road, with former Storm sous chef Ryan Kline as head chef.

Green Sage West Asheville: The popular local chain expands with a third location next to Earth Fare Westgate.

Hole: Currently just a twinkle in the eye of an empty lot in East West Asheville near Urban Orchard, this will soon become a coffeeshop and donut joint from the former owners of Tin Can Pizzeria.

King Daddy’s Chicken and Waffles: The owners of Early Girl branch out with a West Side chicken and waffles joint.

King James Public House: Charlotte Street gets a gastropub, with former Zambra chef Steve Goff in the kitchen.

Neo Burrito Woodfin: New location coming to Reynolds Village, with developer Zak Yancey hoping for a May 2014 opening.

The Nightbell: New cocktails/dining/dancing spot with DJs and food from Curate chef Katie Button. The latest venture from the family behind Curate is coming February 2014, according to the latest word from Curate co-owner Elizabath Button, Katie’s mom.

Off the Wagon Dueling Piano Bar: In the former Cinjades location. Rio de Brazil: Brazilian steakhouse coming to Hendo Road.

Vortex Doughnuts: At last! The indie donut shop that won awards before it even opened has found a home, on the South Slope. Three words: beer and donuts.

MORE: And the coffeeshop rumored to be moving in next to the former Digable Pizza & the Greek/Italian restaurant going into the former Arcade downtown. And the West Asheville restaurant from the owners of Nine Mile and Lucky Otter. And the new restaurant that will open in the Tomato Jam Café location after its lease ends this month.

CHAIN RESTAURANTS ON THE HORIZON

Chik-fil-a Merrimon: In one of the out-parcels near the new Harris Teeter grocery store.

Chipotle Mexican Grill: The rumors never end. Latest word on the street is that it will be located in front of the new Publix grocery store to be built on Hendersonville Road.

Golden Corral: Word on the street is that the restaurant will be coming to Patton Avenue near the Kmart shopping center.

Moe’s Southwest Grill: One Merrimon location coming up.

NEW IN 2013

All Souls Pizza

Allgood Coffee

Ambrozia Bar & Bistro

Another Broken Egg Café

Asheville Sandwich Company

The Barleycorn

Baan Thai

Ben’s Tune Up

Biscuit Head

Blue Kudzu Sake

Blue Ridge Biscuit Company

BoBo Pho

BT’s Burger Joint

Bull and Beggar

Café Azalea

Cecilia’s Kitchen

DOUGH

Farm Burger

Geraldine’s Bakery

The Green Room

Hyphen Coffeehouse

Isa’s Bistro

Korean House

Koreana

The Local Taco

The Odditorium

Oyster House Brewpub

Pizza Pura

Rhubarb

Seven Sows Bourbon and Larder

Soba

Sol y Luna

Thirsty Monk Biltmore Park

Thirsty Monk South

Tiger Bay Café

Top of the Monk

Yuzu Patisserie

Zia Taqueria

The obits: Restaurants that closed this year

Eat local and support the restaurants you love.

Appalachian Tavern on Merrimon, Elliott Moss’ Buxton Hill Barbecue on the South Slope, the Shambles on Charlotte Street, and Kanoo in West Asheville: All restaurant concepts that died in 2013 without ever seeing the light of day.

It’s a big deal that top Asheville chef Elliott Moss is still professionally homeless after leaving The Admiral and Ben’s Tune Up. Keep your eye on Moss in 2014, both as a pop-up chef at Punk Wok in the MG Road space on Mondays and as a supper club chef, and for whatever else he has up his sleeve.

THE CLOSINGS

Aqua Café

The Asheville Public

The Birdhouse Café

Bistro 1896

Boca

Brioso Fresh Pasta

Burgermeister’s

Café Azalea

Casa Maya

Chef Mo’s

Digable Pizza (soon to be the new home of Asheville Sandwich Company)

Franks’ NY Deli

Hank’s BBQ

Magnolia’s

Morning Glory Café

Ole’s Guacamoles

Puebla

Sisters McMullen

Taqueria Gonzalez

Tolliver’s

Tomato Jam Café (new restaurant to open in its place)

Tomato Cucina Latina

MIA restaurant concepts: ideas we’re still waiting on … Stirhaus: The Lexington Avenue Brewery project first mentioned in 2012 has yet to debut.

Kitchen 643: Mysterious Haywood Road restaurant still hasn’t debuted.

The new riverside restaurant and bar constructed from shipping containers, a venture from Matthew Logan, owner of the 5 Walnut bar on Walnut Street downtown. The current space, called the Boathouse, has hosted nonprofit events.

26 Comments

Is this the appropriate place to ask a question about Elliot Moss? I find it interesting that he seems to jump without ever really landing. In all the different interviews and articles about him leaving Ben’s so quickly, no one ever seemed to ask or answer the question as to why. Seems like a big question to me. What’s the scoop. Is he hard to work with or something? Seems that there is a lot of talent but little ability to produce something other than to new gimmicks. Not trying to talk smack about the guy. I am just wondering why he seems to have a strange pattern here in town and noone in the food scene ever seems to say anything about it. What’s up?

DGOM, Elliott’s recent history is leaving The Admiral to start his own place (Buxton Hill), which didn’t pan out. He helped out at Ben’s Tune Up (if I remember right, he was never meant to be part of the team permanently) and now has a pop-up at MG Road and does other temp chef gigs (Blind Pig, The Pamplico). Erratic loose cannon or a guy figuring out his next move? I could be wrong, but it looks like the latter to me. Not even Elliott Moss gets to just create a successful new restaurant without hard work and a rough road to get there.

Hey Ashley, I didn’t include any of the trucks from the mobile food and beverage scene… Thinking that’s a whole other blog entry. Maybe it’s time to check back in with that world with a who’s who of Asheville food trucks and vending sites.